By Joanna Choi, CFCC Student Fellow (2018-2019)<\/p>\n
The parking lot was filled with parents kissing children goodbye, waving as they left.\u00a0 I walked through the bright halls of Mount Royal Elementary\/Middle School, with children carrying colorful backpacks, strolling to the right and left of me.\u00a0 The walls were covered with various art projects, motivational slogans, and shiny trophies.\u00a0 They reflect the school\u2019s commitment to student success, and I could feel the excitement in the air.\u00a0 I, too, was excited \u2013 it was Orientation day for the University of Baltimore (UB) School of Law Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts\u2019 (CFCC) Truancy Court Program (TCP).<\/p>\n
Mount Royal Elementary\/Middle School is comprised of students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, with a total of 725 students enrolled for the 2018 \u2013 2019 school year.\u00a0 The TCP operated at Mount Royal last year, and it was obvious that both students and staff were familiar with the program.\u00a0 Approximately twelve students are enrolled in the program this year, consisting mostly of middle school students.\u00a0 Some of the students recognized the TCP team and greeted us with a smile.\u00a0 Most students were shy, quietly filling out the necessary paperwork, as their eyes scanned across the room observing the TCP team in the classroom.<\/p>\n
This year, the TCP team consists of a TCP Coordinator, a TCP Attorney, a TCP Mentor, and a volunteer TCP Judge, as well as a University of Baltimore (UB) School of Law student in CFCC\u2019s Student Fellows Program and interns from the UB Criminal Justice Program.\u00a0 The TCP also has UB students who volunteer their time to tutor students in the program.\u00a0 When it finally came time for the UB volunteers to introduce ourselves, the students listened intently.\u00a0 Their curiosity was visible in their facial expressions, as they stared with wide eyes and nodded their heads.\u00a0 When it was the students\u2019 turn to introduce themselves, they sheepishly shared their names.\u00a0 It was not until they began to share their thoughts about the careers they would like to pursue when they grow up that their voices grew louder.\u00a0 A wide range of careers was named, including professional athletes, doctors, scientists, and attorneys.<\/p>\n
The current reality of the students, however, shows the wide gap between their present struggles and their aspirations.\u00a0 In explaining the TCP, the students were asked to share what obstacles prevent them from attending classes. \u00a0Their responses reflected our law school classroom discussions regarding the current issues faced by Baltimore City public school students, including a lack of transportation, having to stay home to take care of brothers and\/or sisters, and a lack of interest in their education.\u00a0 This discussion reminded me again of the TCP\u2019s importance.\u00a0 This program does more than help students go to school.\u00a0 It provides an opportunity for students to become connected to the resources they need to pursue their dreams.\u00a0 The TCP team fills a gap by providing tutoring sessions, holding students accountable, and encouraging students to keep striving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Joanna Choi, CFCC Student Fellow (2018-2019) The parking lot was filled with parents kissing children goodbye, waving as they left.\u00a0 I walked through the bright halls of Mount Royal Elementary\/Middle School, with children carrying colorful backpacks, strolling to the right and left of me.\u00a0 The walls were covered with various art projects, motivational slogans,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1628,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1628"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1115,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804\/revisions\/1115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/cfcc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}